Acceptable Calibers

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I've recently either overheard or participated in a number of conversations about what caliber is best for off-duty and/or concealed carry guns. To me the answer is simple: off-duty guns should be the same caliber as your on-duty gun and should carry at least 10 rounds. Concealed carry guns for civilians or retired police officers is a different story as the choices grow when responsibilities diminish. What responsibilities? Think for a second: off-duty officers are still "on duty". Many agencies have general orders that require their officers to be armed 24 hours unless circumstances don't permit it OR if they're going to be out drinking. If you need to know why cops are required to be armed 24 hours a day look to the Utah mall active shooter that was stopped in a timely fashion by an off-duty cop. That officer, I'm sure, is thankful that he wasn't carrying a 5-shot .38 caliber revolver with no extra ammo. I'm equally sure that, as he entered that engagement, somewhere in his mind he was wishing he had an M4 with six or seven spare magazines. Off-duty officers still have the responsibility to respond to life threatening situations. They have to run TOWARD the sound of shots instead of away like the rest of us. And yes, "the rest of us" can include retired officers and civilian concealed carry permit holders. Whether or not the civilians run the other way is ENTIRELY up to their personal level of commitment to the safety and welfare of others and their personal levels of courage. The bottom line is that nothing REQUIRES them to take action beyond escape. So, as I said: for off-duty officers it's an easy choice: carry a weapon in the same caliber as your duty weapon, preferably of the same funcionality and carrying a minimum of 10 rounds in the weapon. I recommend at least one or two spare magazines and you're silly if you carry a gun off-duty without carrying handcuffs. The implication is that you have no intention of arresting anyone off-duty but are more than willing to kill them. Think about that court case... Let's talk some more about civilian carry though. Many legally armed citizens are of the mindset that they want to carry a gun but don't want it to be a huge inconvenience. Not meaning to be sexist but this is probably a huge consieration for the lady dressing for an evening out who finds herself with no place to conceal a weapon due to her wardrobe and a purse just big enough to hold her cell phone and lipstick. What does she do? She chooses not to carry at all making the entire question of caliber moot. She chooses to carry as small a gun as possible She chooses to change her wardrobe to carry an effective weapon #1 can also apply to the guy going to the beach or to a picnic who is wearing shorts and a tank top. No place to hide the gun can mean simply not carrying. Still, there are so many companies out there manufacturing clothing specifically designed to conceal weapons that a simple change of shopping location can empower you to carry concealed even during times like this. #2 is a valid choice but will more than likely mean not having the reasonable ability to engage your assailant until he is on you - literally. #3, in my mind, is the most responsible decision to make if you're serious about carrying as a civilian. To me, if you're going to carry a gun, you should carry an effective one. I have to point out that this very thought was thrown in my face recently by my best friend as we discussed what I would be carrying. I have a selection available in my gun cabinet. The selection ranges from full-size 1911-style .45 caliber weapons to the smallest which is a 10-shot .22lr Walther. In between choices include Glock 9mms and .40s, a Browning 9mm and a Beretta .380. Of the handguns available to me the easiest to conceal is the Beretta .380. It's capacity is 8 in the magazine plus 1 "in the pipe" for a total of 9. Let's look at the weapon calibers and capacities for a second: .45ACP: 7+1 .40S&W: 15+1 9mm Glock: 15+1 9mm Browning: 12+1 Beretta .380: 8+1 Walther .22lr: 10+1 Bearing in mind that I prefer the 9mm over the .40 simply because of my own skills and comfort levels I would select the Glock 9mm as my carry gun if there was never another concern about concealability. If I carry one extra magazine I have more than 30 rounds of ammo. Since it's a mid-size Glock (Model 19) it's not too weighty or uncomfortable. It's definitely lighter than the .45ACP and smaller than the Glock .40S&W. I've also chosen to carry my .45ACP at times for various reasons. I used to have and carry a Glock Model 36 which is a single-stack 6+1 .45ACP weapon that is pretty concealable. I put +1 floorplates on the magazines so I had the same capacity as my 1911 but in a lighter more compact package. Is there a better compromise? Maybe... I'm waiting on a new pistol (for me) to test from Kahr. It's a relatively small polymer frame .45ACP that holds 6+1 rounds. The Kahr CW4543 was specifically designed for concealed carry at an affordable price and in an effective caliber. My largest concerns with it will be ammo feed reliability and accuracy. If I can find ammo that it likes and I can still shoot it accurately out to 25 yards, then it will likely become my favorite carry gun. I like the .45ACP cartridge. It's been around more than 100 years. We have it figured out. What other calibers do I think are effective for concealed carry? Well, as my best friend reminded me, the .380ACP is really at the weak end of the spectrum. The smallest we SHOULD go is 9mm. The list of calibers from there up are:
  • .357Sig
  • 10mm
  • .40S&W
  • .45ACP
  • .45GAP
Pick one. They are not listed in order of preference or power - but merely listed as I can pull them out of my head for acceptable calibers. Different strokes for different folks. You have to decide what you like best. In his book Ted Nugent claims to carry a Glock Model 20 in 10mm. That's 16 rounds of 10mm in his hand if he pulls his pistol. I worked with a guy in New Orleans after Katrina who carried the same gun, a Glock 20, but with +5 base plates on his magazines so he had 21 rounds of 10mm in his pistol. With today's available selection of pistols there is no reason for anyone - especially off-duty cops - to be carrying a weapon in .22, .25 or .380 calibers. For us legally armed civilians the need is just as small. We can easiliy and conveniently carry an effective weapon and I submit to you that if we're NOT going to carry an effective weapon, maybe we shouldn't carry at all. Your thoughts?

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